Houses which harness sunlight for power is becoming a reality in Malaysia with one developer building such homes.
A handful of Malaysians will soon get the opportunity to own houses that tap solar energy. As a start, four such houses will be built this year, followed by another 15 early next year.
In the past, such homes were mainly show houses, sometimes with no dwellers, built by research bodies to gauge and promote solar energy.
The new solar-powered houses, located in Precinct 16 in Putrajaya, also differ in the sense that solar cells are integrated into the buildings (using building-integrated photovoltaic or BIPV technology), unlike older generation solar systems where cells are mounted on roofs. (more…)
A scrape-off showdown is taking shape in Denver, where home demolitions have jumped 63 percent in three years as developers remake the face of some of the city’s most prized neighborhoods.
In response, the Denver City Council is wrestling with a policy to save true landmarks, without giving residents too much control over what their neighbors can do with their property.
But residents in Washington Park, Hilltop, Park Hill and other neighborhoods complain that the city isn’t doing enough to stop rampant tear-downs for “monster homes.” They are going to court and filing landmark applications to defend their neighborhood charm – and property values. (more…)
